Otley 2015 Initiative - Marketing the town effectively

The Otley 2015 initiative is a proposed plan for Otley people and businesses to take control of the marketing and tourism budget for the town.

At present all Marketing decisions are taken at the Leeds City Council level who aim to promote Leeds as a shopping, cultural and nightlife destination for tourism visitors. Otley does feature in some of this publicity as a potential place to visit once you are in Leeds, unfortunately this is not good enough for one of Yorkshire's most historic Market Towns.

Promoting Otley as a destination for tourists and visitors requires a vision and strategy to market a clear identity for the town making full use of some of Otley's great assets.

Otley is the gateway to the Dales, nestling in the shadow of The Chevin, a great starting point for any visitor wanting to see the best of Yorkshire countryside. Otley is the birthplace of Chippendale and has a history rich in Industry and the Arts. Otley is a picturesque, bustling market town full of quirky and interesting shops, restaurants and pubs with a riverside park - all these great assets should make Otley a destination in it's own right and with such a vibrant and friendly local population as well, visitors do have a great experience!

Local businesses want to have more say in how the town is promoted, Otley Town Partnership would like to have devolved power to market the town, Peter Heald the Chairman is quoted as saying " I  I think we get a poor deal from Leeds and if they can devolve that service we can make a much better job of it.”

Local MP Greg Mulholland is right behind the 2015 initiative

“We also must have decision making and a budget for marketing of Otley devolved to the town, run by Otley, for Otley. John Lewis’ motto is: ‘never knowingly undersold’; sadly in Otley’s case it is more a question of never sold properly and it is time that changed."

Perhaps if the Otley  could take control of this budget it might encourage a hotel operator to set up in the town, brining much needed investment and jobs to the area.

The Otley 2015 initiative needs the support of local businesses and people so please leave messages of support and any marketing ideas you have for the town here at Otleypeople.co.uk and they will be passed on to the relevant decision makers.